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Angry Anglers Oppose Great Lakes Turbines

The reasons of objection to NYPA’s plans for citing 1000-plus turbines in the Great Lakes are thus:

1. Offshore turbines require huge foundations. Sediments that have collected years of pollution and are now buried under cleaner sediments will be disturbed and pollution will be redistributed via the natural currents around the lake. Over the summer, the thermocline, in particular, is where the majority of sediments are transported and this is where the majority of trout and salmon reside. During the winter, the lake currents are much stronger. Sediments will also be disrupted during the laying of transmission lines.

2. Climate change advocates say that in addition to reducing carbon emissions that the world’s freshwater supply is dwindling and must be protected. The Great Lakes are a national treasure and are 95 percent of the U.S. fresh water supply. We can’t risk pollution accidents like occurred at Maple Ridge, where turbine oil contaminated the ground water, or like Fenner this last November when a turbine collapsed “for no apparent reason.”

The placement of industrial wind turbines in the Great Lakes seems to be in conflict with the water quality initiative contained in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Our state and federal governments do not seem in harmony about environmentally sensitive areas to protect.

3. The RFP calls for nearly a thousand turbines. It is very likely that state and federal security forces will not allow anyone near these industrial wind farms. Thus a great portion of our lake will become out of bounds for fishermen and pleasure boaters. Vestas, a major turbine manufacturer, recommends a minimum of 1200 feet from any operational turbine for safety reasons.

4. Every year people and boats are hurt/damaged by navigation hazards out on the lake. The sheer numbers of these turbines will greatly increase the number of navigation hazards. Each turbine contains over 400 gallons of lubricant oils and liquids that can be extremely damaging to wildlife and fresh water supplies that our lakeshore communities use for a potable water source.

5. Transmission lines will interconnect the turbines and be run to various places along the shore. The lines operate at approx 0.5 HZ and 33 kilovolts. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is trying to stop the Asian carp in the Chicago sanitary canal with very similar electrical fields. This may have negative effects on the sport fish in the lake. Effects of decreases in fish populations adjacent to industrial wind turbine farms have been confirmed in Europe, where ocean wind farms have been constructed.

6. The location of the turbine farms will affect the fish. Salmon and trout make east-west traverses of the lake throughout the year prior to their annual run up their home rivers. Natural-born salmon were netted this past year off of Rochester. The DEC’s Lake Ontario unit confirmed that these small shakers could easily travel from the Salmon River to Rochester in much less than a day. University studies have found that salmon are affected by magnetic fields in that they become sluggish and align themselves with the fields. These swimming/migration patterns will definitely be disrupted.

7. OSHA prohibits a worker from coming within 27 feet of a transmission line unless properly attired — properly clothed and grounded.) The area where transmission lines come ashore may present a hazardous area for any boater, fisherman and swimmer.

The United States signed an international treaty with Canada to restore the Great Lakes, and this has been reinforced with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. For many years, agencies including New York State have put forth great effort and money into this. Sport fishing on the Great Lakes has blossomed into an industry that pays into local economies year after year. Offshore wind farms in Lake Ontario will do much more damage to the frail ecology and lakeshore economies of Lake Ontario than benefit the “green energy” movement.

The projects are bad community planning, especially in the water. People choose to live in and visit waterfront communities for the view and relaxation. These projects destroy the view, create noise and other pollution and devalue property.

The projects create a net loss in tax base when put in developed areas or areas of tourism. For all of the reasons stated above, communities stand to lose much more than they could ever gain — beginning with the traditional tax base.

Robert E. Aliasso Jr. of Henderson is co-chair of the Coalition for the Preservation of the Golden Crescent and 1000 Islands Region. Tom Bishop of Rochester is a recreational fisherman.

9 thoughts on “Angry Anglers Oppose Great Lakes Turbines”

The noise alone that carries and is amplified on the water will make people and the fish crazy!

This NON GREEN Energy Act is worse than the Bolshivcks in 1917.

We fall into 3 groups.

1. Don’t know , don’t care.

2. I have been “greenwashed” and believe the spin.

3. Know but are helpless to stop the McGuinty ungreen Machine.

Welcome to the resistance Anglers, we in rural Ontario are having our dream homes in the country expropriated with no compensation and our wild life has been proven to leave as soon as the turbines power up. Our raptors in North America are killed by the blades. Ice throw (up to 1800 feet) can kill a unsuspecting snowmobiler or child walking on their own property closer than 550 meters from turbine even though there property is not hosting an Industrial Turbine Factory! (notice I did not help their PR spin by calling it a ‘Farm’. ) Because the set back is only to the house not the property line. A barn full of livestock does not count as a receptor! Yet dairy cattle have aborted from stray voltage. Theu drink 20% less water produce less milk! Pigs in barns have gone lame and cannot walk up the ramp to the truck for market, must be shoved up the ramp! Sheep have been reported as not lying down to sleep and off their food! People have abandoned their homes, can’t sell them and they are too sick to stay there. Symptoms stop when they go elsewhere! It seems some houses act as a conduit for Infra sound , Low frequency vibration.
People feel their heart thumping to the beat of the turbines. Child say’s “Mommy, there’ s a hamster on the wheel in my chest again!” Children up crying with ear aches all night long. etc. A Mother finds a note on her table, ” gone to Dad’s to get some sleep….turbines.”

Good luck to you on the water. raise funds hire a PR team to counter their slick propaganda and fight for all your worth , your children are counting on you to protect them.

Thanks for speaking out “T” we need more people to speak up. We ARE Canadian and never before have we let ourselves be trampled by a Brown Energy Act, and the dictator behind it. They counted on complacency and so far they got it!

McGuinty must step down now! We haven’t even asked him to step down! Gee, We have never been wimps before in all our history. Do you think the turbines have destroyed the fight in us and we have become cowards? Afraid Toronto might think we are not Green? Afraid someone might laugh at us?

Come on Ontario Stand Up and fight this outrageous travesty to Ontario and it’s people!

I would hope that this has not turned us into cowards. Do we really care if Toronto thinks we are not “GREEN”. I know I don’t. Are they going to be willing to help us out, when these turbines are up. I think not. We need to stick together, draw strength from this, and fight like we have never fought before. Our health, livelihood, and future is depending on this. Now is not the time to be quiet, speak up and let your voice be heard.

“I miss my home”. In a short period of time these turbines are destined to become non functional pieces of junk on the landscape producing nothing but occupying our fertile land, forests and waters. All to produce nothing more than blips of energy that cost us more than we can imagine. How many people saying “I miss my home” does it take? Wildlife and fish cannot say “I miss my home” and we will further reduce their chances of survival from habitat losses through not only turbine placement but roads, transmission lines and substations. What are we letting this government do to us and our environment?

About T from Turbine Town’s posts…………….If one didn’t know this is a post from Ontario one would imagine that this is a story of someone being tortured in some 3rd World “S$!$hole” run my a deviant Dictator!!!!!!!!!!!

But as it actually IS in our fair Province then all I can say is there is something seriously, and I mean SERIOUSLY wrong with this Government and their actions.

This is actually a criminal event here! The actions of one or more group of people that causes “bodily harm” on another is called a CRIME and should be dealt with by the Police, not a committee or an agency such as The MNR, MOE or any other Government sanctioned agency!

I am not a lawyer or an Officer of the Law but if this person could charge McGuinty and company with “assault causing bodily harm” wouldn’t that be a legal action?

Actually that would be a good publicity stunt Quixote, If I was an injured party I would definitely be trying to press charges and I would sue the offending property owners that put these serious industrial machines near my home and family and livestock.

One would think that an environmentalist organization would be suing the turbine companies as well.

As Canadians we are just so new at being raped!

First we are in denial, then we flounder and don’t know what to do.

Please tell me you are going to rip up your tax bill. The real Quixote would have raised his sword! He had true valor, he shone even through the ravages of dementia.

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